This is a zine dedicated to black metal written by a follower of the left hand path, This zine has been around in a different format for a while and I have decided to make an edition for www.blogger.com, for more information email occultblackmetalzine@yahoo.com, new albums as well as classic albums will be reviewed on here as long as their good quality black metal,

Friday, May 31, 2013

Erkryss are a 1 man band from Germany that plays a mixture of depressive and melodic black metal and this is a review of their self released 2012 album "Dimenshed Ascension".

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful sound with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine melodic and depressive black metal together to create a sound of their own along with some clean playing that brings a pagan/folk feeling to the album as well as some influences from other genres of metal in the riffing, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding black metal guitar solos and leads that have a post black metal feeling to them at times, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they use finger picking and full chords to enhance the dark atmosphere of the album.

Vocals are mostly grim sounding black metal screams with some spoken word parts being utilized at times as well as some clean singing in addition there is a brief use of deep death metal growls, while the lyrics cover dark and depressive themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, heavy and dark sound for being a self released recording where you can h ear all of the musical instruments that are present on this album with some of the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion Erkryss are a very great sounding hybrid of depressive and melodic black metal and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Solitude Amplitude" "Kanaadian Life Code" and "Ascension". RECOMMENDED BUY.

This is a review of another album from MAre Cognitum which was released in 2012 continuing their melodic, depressive and atmospheric approach to black metal with the recording being called "An Extraconscious Lucidity" which was released by Milam Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being thrown into the music, while the synths bring a very experimental, avant garde, dark and atmospheric sound to the recording, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast depressive black metal riffs that utilize some heavy, raw and primitive sounding elements as well as some melody and atmospheric elements in the riffing as well as a brief use of clean playing, while the lead guitars are very dark and melodic sounding black metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are mostly grim sounding and high pitched black metal screams with some spoken word parts being utilized at times, while the lyrics cover dark and philosophical themes, as for the production it has a very heavy, dark, raw and primitive sound with some of the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion this is another great sounding album from Mare Cognitum and if you are a fan of melodic, atmospheric and depressive black metal, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Pyre Of Ascendance" and "Pulses In Extraconsciious Lucidity". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Mare Cognitum are a 1 man band from California that plays a very atmospheric and depressive from of black metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "The Sea Has Become Known" which was released by Milam Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming some blast beats being thrown into the music at times, while the synths bring a very dark and atmospheric sound to the recording, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast depressive black metal riffs that use some raw and primitive sounding elements as well as some dark sounding melodies in the riffing as well as a brief use of soft and clean playing along with some thrash influences being utilized at times, while the lead guitars are very dark, melodic, and atmospheric sounding black metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are all grim sounding depressive black metal screams, while the lyrics cover dark and haunting themes, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound to it with the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion Mare Cognitum are a very great sounding original, atmospheric, melodic and depressive black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "A Vain Lament" and "The Immortal Plague". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Ashencult are a band from Pennsylvania that plays a very grim, melodic, raw and primitive form of occult black metal and this is a review of their self released 2012 album "Black Flame Gnosis".

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful sound with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the riffing.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that are very dark, melodic, raw and primitive sounding with a good amount of thrash influences being thrown into the riffing, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding black metal guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they use finger picking and full chords to enhance the dark atmosphere of the album.

Vocals range from grim sounding and high pitched black metal s creams to deep death metal growls and grunts, while the lyrics cover darkness and occult themes, as for the production it has a very dark, heavy, raw and primitive sound to it while you can still hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this album along with a couple of the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion Ashencult are a very great sounding grim, melodic, raw and primitive sounding occult black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should c heck out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "A Glorious Elegy" "Plague Revelation" and "The Whore And The Failure Of Light". RECOMMENDED BUY.

This is a review of a compilation album that was released by Debemur Morti Productions in 2012 called "Servants Of Chaos" and we will review the songs one by one.

Starting off the compilation is Behexen with "We Burn With Serpent Fire" a very heavy, raw and primitive sounding satanic black metal song that uses grim sounding vocals and melodic riffing.

Next up is Porta Nigra with "Megalomaniac" a very avant garde sounding and melodic occult black metal song with some clean singing and grim sounding black metal screams that h ave a depressive tone to them at times as well as some heavy bass riffs.

Next up is Setherial with "The Neural Cage Of Self Infliction" a very long and epic in length and cold style Swedish black metal with some dark sounding melodies being thrown into the riffing.

Next up is Nunfuckritual with "Parthenogen" a very long and epic in length black metal song that combines old school elements with some of the more modern elements of darker black metal along with some grim and evil sounding vocals.

Next up is Manetheren with "II" a very long and epic in length atmospheric black metal song with some grim sounding black metal screams as well as some experimental elements.

Next up is Slidhr with "Hex" a very atmospheric sounding occult black metal song which utilizes some Swedish style black metal elements along with some melodic chanting.

Next up is October Falls with "Bloodlines" a very atmospheric and melodic sounding ambient black metal song.

Next up is Archgoat with "Penetrator Of The Secong Temple" a very dark and heavy bestial black death/metal song with a great amount of raw and primitive sounding riffing.

Next up is Blut Aus Nord with "Epitome II" a very atmospheric and avant garde sounding occult black metal song.

Next up is Rex Mundi with "The Flesh Begat" a very heavy, raw and primitive sounding occult black metal song with some grim sounding screams.

Next up is Wallachia with "Dual Nothingness" a very atmospheric sounding black metal song with some grim sounding screams and melodic riffing as well as synths which bring in the atmospheric elements.

Next up is Infestus with "Down Spiral Derersonification" a very long and epic in length atmospheric occult black metal song which also utilizes some classical guitars towards the end.

Closing the compilation is Monolithe" a very long and epic in length black metal song which also utilizes some doom metal style riffing, deep growl and atmospheric riffing.

In conclusion I feel this is a very great sounding compilation and if you are a fan of more left hand path orientated black metal, you should add this album to your collection. RECOMMENDED BUY.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Vetus Obscurum are a band from Seattle, Washington that plays a very grim and pathogenic form of black metal and this is a review of their 2009 ep "Blood Revelations" which was released by Debemur Morti Productions.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that are very dark, raw and primitive sounding with some melody and atmospheric parts being thrown into the riffing throughout the album, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding black metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals range from grim sounding and high pitched black metal screams to deep death metal growls along with a brief use of melodic chanting being used on t he last song, while the lyrics cover darkness and anti christian themes, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound to it with a couple of songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion Vetus Obscurum are a very great sounding grim and pathogenic black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this ep. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Omen From The East" and "Blood Revelations". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Way To End are a band from France that plays a very avant garde form of occult black metal and this is a review of their 2009 album "Desecrated Internal Journey" which was released by Debemur Morti Productions.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful sound with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast traditional black metal riffs that use a great amount of progressive, avant garde elements and dark sounding melodies in the riffing as well as a small amount of primitive parts, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding avant garde black metal guitar solos and leads, as for the classical guitars when they are utilized use finger picking to add more avant garde and experimental qualities to the music.

Vocals are mostly grim sounding black metal screams with some deep death metal growls being utilized at times as well as some melodic chanting, while the lyrics cover Alchemy, Occultism, and Magick, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, heavy, dark and professional sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording with the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion Way To End are a very great sounding occult, avant garde black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "A Step Into The Void" "The Worm" and "The Sore Of Creation". RECOMMENDED BUY.

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

Mormânt De Snagov is a Finnish Black Metal band founded in 2008. We have released one full length album in 2010 and few smaller limited releases. Our second full length album will be released on June 30th 2013. The basic idea of Mormânt De Snagov is not to create unique music or ideology, but to perform such music and lyrics that comes out by itself in the writing process.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

You can find elements of traditional Scandinavian Black Metal in our music mixed with elements from death metal and other sub-genres as well. The second wave of Black Metal is very strong influence to myself, which is of course heard in our music, but you can also find surprising and uncommon riffs there. The first album was more traditional and the second one takes us to more atmospheric and experimental areas.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

The lyrics deal with the issues mankind is facing. First of them is of course religion and the blindness it causes. People cannot see the obvious anymore, but instead tend to believe all kind of shit that is told to them, especially in religion, but also in politics. However Mormânt De Snagov is not a political band! The lyrics also deal with things that I read in the news. Death is also a fascinating thing to explore when writing lyrics. It's really interesting the way people handle it. Most people try to avoid talking about death and find excuses so they don't need to think about it. For example the belief of paradise and afterlife. It's all just nonsense that keeps people's hopes "high" and keeps their thoughts away from the truth that when you die, you simply don't exist anymore. Sometimes our lyrics are straight forward stuff about subjects mentioned. In some songs I have hidden the ideology behind a horror story and in other songs I might just keep it simple and concentrate to giving middle finger to all religions and their gods.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

The bands name refer to Dracula's grave. It's a very common subject in metal, but we decided to use Romanian language in the name to make it sound a bit more different. I have always been a big fan of horror books and movies, and when I came up with that name, it was clear to me that this is the right name for the band.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

We haven't played too many shows during our career. We love playing live though and we are willing to travel different places to play live just to spread the word and our ideology. So far our show has been an overall experience. We had corpse paints, blood, dead animals (pig heads, dead and dissected rats, etc...) a big upside down cross with a bible impaled to it and so on. In every show people in the crowd rip pages away from the bible and burn them. It's a very hateful and aggressive experience. Since then we have changed our outfit a little bit to match our current music. We have taken away the corpse paint and cleaned up the image bit. We haven't played any shows after this change so it will be a mystery what Mormânt De Snagov live show will be next time. I'm sure we will still have that cross and bible ready to be desecrated again. Come and see.

6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

We have booked only one show next autumn in Finland, but we are about to book some more once we get the new album out. So no tour in plan at the moment, but we do not fear to hit the road if there is a demand for it.

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?

It's been positive. I've seen only one negative crush review from our first album. The new album hasn't been reviewed yet in many places, but I have a feeling it might get good grades. Anyway the album is recorded and I'm proud of it so it really doesn't matter. Mormânt De Snagov will go on even if no one likes us.

The thing is that the current state of underground Black Metal is very healthy, almost too healthy. That means there are thousands of bands out there and it's very difficult to stand out from the mass. Especially when we haven't done anything that hasn't already been done. Our mission is not to be different and make a big fuss about us. I see things like this: If you want to hear good BM with killer lyrics and dark ideology, then buy our album and come to see a concert. If you're not interested, then don't buy it and go see some other band.

8.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

We have three new songs completely ready and the direction is slightly more progressive than before. A bit longer songs and more complicated riffs. To keep the balance we have also written possibly our simplest song ever. We have no plans or blueprints of the future material. We keep doing things as we have done before: write stuff that sounds great to us.

9. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

When I first started this band I listened a lot to Secrets Of The Moon at that time. I had been listening to Black Metal for ages, but somehow their album Antithesis lit the spark in me to write Black Metal myself. Before Mormânt De Snagov I have played in several bands, but never written music or lyrics myself. It goes without saying that we sound very different than SotM, but you can pick hints from them here and there. So Secrets Of The Moon was the spark for Mormânt De Snagov but still the biggest overall influences are Emperor and Mayhem, although personally my all time favorite band is surprisingly Megadeth. In Mormânt De Snagov everyone listens to a bit different kind of music from death metal to progressive stuff.

10.Does Occultism play any role in your music?

No. We concentrate only on mocking religions, waking people up and creating conversation. I do not believe in gods, spirits, ghosts on any other such things. For example to me Satan represents simply the common sense of mankind. A common sense that makes people ask questions and criticize what they are told. We use some Satanic symbols like inverted crosses and pentagrams. Those symbols represent the freedom of will to me. The freedom to criticize and to speak out loud whatever you want. That freedom is exactly what for example Christians fear the most. In other words, Satan!

11.Outside of music what are some of your interests/

This might be a bit surprising but I play golf an spend a lot time with my family. I also love cooking, especially when the end result is successful. I'm not a common visitor in local bars. I only get out to see interesting live shows and festivals.

12.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

The new Mormânt De Snagov album "Derisive Philosophy" is out on June 30th 2013. I can't tell the details about distribution yet, but follow Mormânt De Snagov website / facebook and Pest Records website / facebook. If you find out that you don't like OUR dark art, then spend you money to some other bands records and t-shirts. The underground metal will never die, but it doesn't harm if you support it. Thanks!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Helel are a band from France that plays a very raw and primitive form of industrial black metal and this is a review of their 2009 ep "A Sigil Burnt Deep In The Flesh" which was released by Debemur Morti Productions.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats being thrown into the music, while the keyboards, programming and samples bring an industrial sound to the recording, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars and at times they have a very powerful sound to them.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that are very dark, heavy, raw and primitive sounding, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding industrial/black metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals range from grim sounding black metal screams to industrial style vocals, while the lyrics cover occultism and mass destruction themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful and heavy sound to it with some of the songs being long and epic in length and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Helel are a very great sounding heavy, raw and primitive industrial black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this ep. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "A Sigil Burnt Deep In The Flesh" and "Cosmos Is Out Of Order". RECOMMENDED BUY.

This is a review of another recording from (V.E.G.A) with the musical style being a hybrid of primitive black metal, industrial and dark ambient and this is a review of their 2000 album "Alienforest - A Sick Mind's Hologram" which was re-issued by Debemur Morti Productions.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being used at times, while the synths and programming bring elements of industrial, dark ambient, avant garde and experimental to the recording, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars and at times they have a very powerful sound to them.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that are very dark and heavy sounding with some raw and primitive elements, melody and avant garde influences being thrown into the riffing, while the lead guitars are very dark, distorted and melodic sounding black metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are mostly grim sounding black metal screams with some spoken word parts and avant garde clean singing being thrown into the music at times as well as a brief use of industrial style vocals, while the lyrics cover drugs, satanism and weird themes, as for the production it has a very dark, heavy, raw and primitive sound with a couple of the songs being long and epic in length and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion this is another great sounding album from (V.E.G.A) and if you are a fan of avant garde black metal, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Kill Me" "Fish, Smoke And Satan" "Ocean Woods" and "Alienforest". RECOMMENDED BUY.

VI are a duo from France that plays a very raw and primitive form of satanic black metal and this is a review of t heir 2008 ep "De Praestigiis Daemonum" which was released by Goathorned Productions.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars, as for the sound effects which are only used briefly bring a very dark and occult sound to t he recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that are very heavy, raw and primitive sounding with some dark sounding melodies being thrown into the riffing at times and there are no guitar solos or leads present on this recording.

Vocals are mostly grim sounding black metal screams along with a brief use of occult and Gregorian chanting, while the lyrics are written in French and cover Satanism themes, as for the production it has a very dark, heavy, raw and primitive sound to it with the last song being long and epic in length.

In my opinion VI are a very great sounding heavy, dark, raw and primitive satanic black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this ep. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Et maintenant je lui appartiens" and "Si le sommeil de ma raison". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Ars Diavoli are a 1 man band from Portugal that plays a very depressive form of black metal and this is a review of their 2013 album "Pro Nihilo Esse" which was released by Debemur Morti Productions.

Drums range from slow to mid paced playing with some fast drumming and blast beats being present on this recording, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars, while the synths bring a very dark and atmospheric sound to the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow to mid paced depressive black metal riffs that are very raw and primitive sounding along with some repetitive riffing as well as some dark sounding melodies and there are no guitar solos or leads present on this recording.

Vocals are mostly grim sounding depressive and suicidal black metal screams along with a brief use of chanting, while the lyrics cover dark, depressive and suicidal themes, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound with some of the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion Ars Diavoli are a very great sounding depressive and suicidal black metal b and and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Ira Auto-Infligida" "Veneracao Suicida". RECOMMENDED BUY.

1.Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

UNRU is a four-piece from Bielefeld, Northrhine-Westphalia, Germany. We've been active for about one year now as UNRU, but most of us already had projects together before.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

I guess we would not necessarily say dark, evil and so forth, though associations like these might come to mind. others have said that our sound is unsettleing and anxiety-inducing and so on and without having a strict concept on how to achieve this emphatic perception of what we are creating, it seems it worked out pretty well.

it is also important to us that guitar, vocals, bass and drums add layers to create one sound where at times things aren't distinguishable anymore but a distinct feeling or sound aesthetic emerges. our friend rouven who recorded and did the producing played a big role in that part.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

anxiety, impotence, displacement, escapism, dissociation, catharsis. our lyrics and aesthetic are more influenced by theory and imagery that puts personal and interpersonal conflict into focus rather than looking at society, politics and so on.

it's a made up word. it can be read as "Unruhe" - "disconcertment" or "Unruh",which is the german word for the "heart" of a watch or clock, a metaphor for being unable to break out of the boundaries of our anxieties, addictions, compulsions and so on, as the "Unruh" is unrelenting going on and on without speeding up or slowing down, unable to abandon its habits.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

we haven't played that many shows so far but the shows on our small tour with Sun Worship were all very good. live we use lots of fog and very little illumination and everyone of us is kind of in his own world so we can't really describe what our stage performance looks like. we do not play seperated songs but a set of our songs with noise / drone interludes trying to create a trance like state where we and the people attending can get lost in. we've been told that we managed to achieve that. for others it was only blurry and very loud noise.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

some of us are pretty busy with other things so we don't tour that much, although we would really love to. maybe there will be a small weekender with deuil from belgium in november and another one with abest, but things aren't settled, yet. Furthermore we are thinking about a longer tour in spring 2014, but our current priorities definitely are recording new stuff an so on.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or received any interest?

beeing strongly rooted in diy culture we are not really looking for a label to sign us. for the forthcoming release(s) we would love to get help by a diy label or different diy labels to do a co-release. our demo will be re-released on tape by caligari records in north and south america and in germany by our friend Schojo/colossus tapes from Berlin but besides these facts, we didn't recieve any interest, yet.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal and crust?

We got a lot of really nice blog-reviews. All in all there has been more positive feedback than we would have ever expected. Generally, the musical background seems to be really mixed up, just like the people attending our shows.

9.Are there any other musical projects or is this a full time line up?

besides unru some of us play in abest, pttrns and negativvm.

10.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

the songs we are working on right now are more black metal and doom and less crust. and we experiment more with noise and drone - not only as interludes but as part of the songs. we're not heading in some specific direction - couple of next songs could be more crusty or something totally different.

Some further ideas we have are applying spoken-word passages on noise/drone interludes, experimenting a little bit more with vocals in general and doing an art/literature-zine.

11.What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

what influences made us play what we're playing can be heard on the recordings we think. Besides we all have widespread musical preferences and couldn't break it down to some that are more worth than others to be mentioned.

12.Outside of music what are some of your interests?

We're all more or less interested in the whole wide spectrum of left-wing politics and therefore most of us are more or less participating in our local autonomous centre, where we also have our rehearsal-room. Besides that, we are into diy-culture in general and as already mentioned literature, art-stuff, movies and so on... one of us already has a kid and another one is going to become a daddy soon... it's hard to outline this in a satisfying way.

13.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

thank's to you for making this possible and thank's to everyone who supported us and what we do in whatsoever way. we would've never expectet UNRU to become what it is now and we're very grateful for all the encouragement we got until now.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

This is a review of another recording from Animus Mortis with the musical style being desolate black metal with dark ambient elements with the album being called "Atrabilis (Residues From Verb & Flesh" which was released by Debemur Morti Productions.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being thrown into the music at times, while the synths when they are utilized bring a dark, atmospheric and ambient sound to the recording, as for the bass playing it has a very strong and powerful sound with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that are very raw and primitive sounding with some melody being thrown into the riffing at times as w ell as a brief use of soft and clean playing, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding black metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are mostly grim sounding black metal screams with some clean singing being used at times, while the lyrics cover misanthropic and desolation themes, as for the production it has a very dark, heavy, raw and primitive sound to it while you can still hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Animus Mortis and if you are a fan of cold and desolate black metal, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Hosannas From The Depths" "Among The Phlegm Of God" and "Splendour Ruins". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Nastrond are a band from Sweden that has been featured before in this zine with a musical sound I would describe as being atmospheric, occult black metal and this is a review of their 2008 album "Muspellz Synir" which was released by Debemur Morti Productions.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the synths bring an atmospheric, ritualistic and occult sound to the recording, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast occult black metal riffs that use some raw and primitive sounding elements as well as melody and doom metal influences in the riffing, while the lead guitars are very raw and primitive sounding black metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are mostly grim sounding black metal screams with deep demonic growls being used at times as well as a brief use of Gregorian chanting, while the lyrics cover Occultism, Asataru and Left Hand Path themes with a couple of songs being written in Swedish, as for the production it has a very dark, heavy, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion this is another great recording from Nastrond and if you are a fan of atmospheric occult black metal, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Fenrir Prophesy" "Dark Fyres" "Calling The Serpentine" and "Nastrond". RECOMMENDED BUY.

(V.E.G.A) are a band with members being both from Italy and Norway with a musical style I would describe as being heavy, raw and primitive sounding avant garde black metal and this is a review of their 2002 album "Cocaine" which was released by Legioni Dell.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being thrown into the music, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars and at times they have a very powerful sound to them, as for the sound effects when they are utilized they bring an industrial sound to the music along with some synths being utilized on the last song.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that are very heavy, raw and primitive sounding along with some avant garde elements and melody being thrown into the riffing that create a sound of their own as well as some industrial influences, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding black metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals range from grim sounding black metal screams to deep growls along with a brief use of kids singing and spoken word parts along with some samples, while the lyrics cover philosophical and weird themes, as for the production it has a very dark, heavy, raw and primitive sound to it with a couple of songs being long and epic in length and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on t his recording.

In my opinion (V.E.G.A) are a very great sounding heavy, raw and primitive avant garde black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Insex Infect" "Burning" "Kill Me" and "Vacuum Era Gelid Atmosphere". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Animus Mortis are a band from Chile that plays a cold, atmospheric, and desolate form of black metal and this is a review of their 2005 album "Thresholds Of Insanity" which was released by Debemur Morti Productions.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful sound with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording, as for the synths and sound effects when they are utilized briefly bring a very dark and ambient sound to the music.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that combine depressive, cold, raw and primitive elements together to create a sound of their own along with some melody and atmospheric elements, while the lead guitars are very atmospheric sounding black metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are mostly grim sounding black metal screams along with a brief use of deep growls, while the lyrics cover darkness and cold themes, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound to it while you can still hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Animus Mortis are a very great sounding cold and desolate black metal b and and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Dying Murmur" and "Ethereal Dimensions". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Vassafor are a band from New Zealand that plays a very occult form of black metal with elements of doom and other extreme genres and this is a review of their self released 2013 live ep "KFJC live to air".

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast old school black metal riffs that use some aw and primitive elements as well as doom and death metal influences to create a sound of their own, while the lead guitars are very dark sounding black/death metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are mostly grim sounding black metal screams along with some deep demonic growls, while the lyrics cover darkness and occult themes, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound to it with the songs being recorded live.

In my opinion Vassafor are a very great sounding occult black metal band with elements of dark death and doom metal and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this live ep. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Obsidian King" and "Craft Of Dissolution". RECOMMENDED BUY>

Mormant De Snagov are a band from Finland that plays a very heavy and grim form of black metal and this is a review of their 2013 album "Derisive Philosophy" which was released by Pest Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being thrown into the music at times, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful sound with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast traditional black metal riffs that utilize some melody, primitive elements, death metal influences and some progressive elements, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding black metal guitar solos and leads, as for t he acoustic guitars w hen they are utilized they use finger picking and full chords to add some progressive elements to the recording.

Vocals range from grim sounding and high pitched black metal screams to deep growls, while the lyrics cover philosophical, occult, and blasphemous themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, and heavy sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Mormant De Snagov a re a very great sounding heavy and grim black metal b and with a d eath metal edge and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Comatose" "Abnormities" and "The Triumph". RECOMMENDED BUY.

1.Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

Torsten: Tom and me started this thing in late 2011. He sent me two instrumentals, i went into a rehearsal room and put vocals over it. Tom mastered these songs afterwards in his living room and the first demo consisting these two songs was released a couple of weeks later.However the idea of Ancst existed quite longer and was only supposed to be a „studio project“, which means arranging, recording and releasing songs constantly.As we're kind of rooted within the Berlin DIY-scene, it's not that difficult to involve other interested people/friends into Ancst, whether it's about co-releasing recorded songs, helping out with the arrangement of those songs.I think it's easier to describe Ancst as some kind of collective than a band, every individual is welcome to share skill, emotion or just some kind words with us.We're all in this shit together.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

Torsten: DIY-Living-Room-Death-Black-Crust-Metal...?

Tom: If you dig blast beats,d-beats and a lot of 90's influenced metal riffing plus a dose of some spanish emo crust you might like it, I guess.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Torsten: I am mainly focused to reflect, describe and process situations i am surrounded by each day. Many people seem to be dull and not interested about things that are actually going on. Even me on some days. But on the other hand it's the peoples' unawareness about their passivity combined with the advantages of our modern times which creates many disadvantages like social exclusion, racism or several lifestyle diseases, just to name a few.My lyrics are mostly about emotions and perspectives about these topics.About the demons which haunt me from time to time. It's one of the hardest demands to stay sane and focused within this insanity where it has become a normal procedure to deal with loss or fucked up compromises just to make a living in this defective system.I'm also into several anarchist ideas like emancipatory/non-hierarchic-capitalistic-/lifestyle, etc. and of course i know that it's not that easy to change this established systems by writing lyrics or screaming my throat sore.It's a well-working vent, at least...The most ideal but also very naively thought effect of the lyrics would be creating some empathetic impulses to others.But what am i telling you? There are dozens of songs dealing with the exact same things i do. Maybe there's one tiny fragment that seperates...i still care.

What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

Torsten: Ancst is nothing more than an abstracted german word for fear. It's originally written Angst, but there are already too many bands using that name and that's the main reason for our notation.Fear is basically something we have to deal with in our micro- and macrocosms.It can weaken or strenghten us. I prefer the last effect.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

Torsten: We're pretty busy with our other bands and, besides that, the daily grind(s). We also don't have a proper Line-Up incl. Drummer so it's pretty much hard to realise.But I'd be glad to play a couple of shows...

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or received and interest?

Tom: Well you know, if noone wants to put it out we simply put it out ourselfs anyway so we are not realy searching for some big label or signing anything at all. so far we had the honour to release our newest tape "the humane condition" on Dark Omen Records, wich turned out pretty nice and our first demo on our collective label skull witch records and not to forget berlins mustard mustache tape label. Beside this we are planning some stuff on a few other labels but there is nothing confirmed so I keep this a secret for now.anyway we are always intrested in working with some new people so hit us up if you like the tunes, dont be shy.

Torsten: It would be great to put out some vinyl.And do i have to mention that we won't share a label with any NSBM- or Burzum-friendly-Crap as well as Sexists?

On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal and crust?

Torsten: I'd skip this question to Tom. He's the one with the marketing skills...

Tom: I mean we just started out and put out our debut EP so noone realy knows I guess. But there are several people who wrote us, ordered a tape and had something nice to say so Im realy thankful to all of these. We didnt expected much.

9.Are there any other musical projects besides this band or is this a full time lineup?

Torsten: I am currently playing Drums and trying to do the vocals in „Gamera“, a Berlin-based 3-Piece-Hardcore-Band.

Tom: We are meeting up every once in a while to record some stuff so we are far away from beeing a full time band but spend a lot of time with other projects. Im currently busy with singing for a powerviolence band called henry fonda and playing drums for my 90s hardcore band afterlife kids.

10.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

Torsten: Many ideas, some releases are already fixed theoretically and our heads are also already spinning about this one special idea.But I'd rather walk the walk then just talk...

Tom: Im working on some more complex arrangments and realy wanna add some more details to the sound as well as to try out some new stuff. Cant realy say what comes out in the end. But the new split with hiveburner will again feature shorter songs and at least one of our upcoming releases will have some more melancholic feeling to it. the rest? suprise suprise!

11.What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Torsten: As mentioned above the musical influences range from many different types of Metal/Crust/Hardcore.Personally i'm listening to literally everything that touches me.I won't mention any details, because i don't wanna put too many scene-points at stake. We need that big record deal, you know...?Right now i'm heavily stuck into Rap...

Tom: I guess a lot of metallic hardcore, second wave black metal and too much d-beat shows did it for me when it comes to Ancst. I'm currently lost in dissection riffs and a lot of dark ambient music as well as the last two records by saint surly and monster monster.

12.Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Torsten: I am writing and releasing Zines from time to time, of course it's never enough output and i am lacking time and channels for the release of the beasts that slumber inside of me because i'm pretty busy with my two kids, the real life and high-quality HBO-Series....Besides that, good vegan food, Vinyl and PMA.